Research
Why Brittle Solids Crack Under Pressure
feeds.aps.org · By Ryan Wilkinson ·
The Brief
- Theory and experiments suggest fractures in brittle solids under compression come from a hidden buildup of internal tension.
- The source is a Physics (APS) news item on a research result, published 2026-11-06.
- The source describes the mechanism only in general terms; no further numbers are given.
Why it matters
It offers a physical explanation for fractures that appear when brittle materials are compressed, which matters for materials engineers and researchers who design against brittle failure.
- #materials science
- #fracture mechanics
- #brittle solids
- #compression
- #physics
Author(s): Ryan Wilkinson Theory and experiments suggest that the mysterious fractures that appear when a brittle material is compressed result from a hidden buildup of internal tension. [Physics 19, 151] Published Fri Nov 06, 2026
Timeline
Physics article on the mechanism published by APS
feeds.aps.org
Why Brittle Solids Crack Under Pressure